LOL see, just by reading this thread we can say, E36 325 is faster than M5.
How I came up to this conclusion?

E46 M3 is as fast as M5, 540 is faster than M3 and since e36 325 is faster than 540 we can say that e36 325 is faster than E39 M5.

myndgone, Bimmer4ever has better crack than you do, you should hook up.

I'm not saying that an E36 325IS is faster than M5. There is no way you can match a 190hp with a 400hp engine. But however, the 540 has 286HP and in some certain ways, (mine is 5speed gear box and he had a auto. possible loaded more than 3 ppl on that car. or he doesn't know hot to lunch a 0-100, etc, ) I won the first 0-100km race, I don't know how that happened and it just happened. Just like today we are talking about a 540 beat a 335i. 286 VS 300. and 540 has 3ppl in the car. My opinion is , in the bimmer world, HP and all those official datas don't mean a lot to us , the drivers. In the close HP range, anything could happen between two racing BMWs.

By the way, I do respect ALL BMWs that I saw on the road, it doesn't matter it is a 318 or an M6, as long as it is a bimmer , I do give them this because after all, we are BMW fans, that's the real reason that we are here on this forum, isn't it?